RE: Alfa Brera gets a boost
Discussion
Cheers Rick, i think it's just one of those things, occaisionally there's a chance that you will buy a car that's just not for you. I'm just hoping that Alfa give me some help. If they do, then my next car will be an Alfa ( probably a GT ), if Alfa don't help me out in any way, then that will be the end of me & Alfas 
wombat rick said:
Everyone seems fixated with the price/weight/performance of the V6, but the JTS and JTDm owners seem absolutely chuffed to bits with their cars. Perhaps the expectations are lower, perhaps the cars work better in those formats, perhaps it's a bit of both.
Good point. ISTR reviews saying that the 2.0 156 was the better handler because of the extra weight of the V6 up front. Could work out similarly with the Brera I guess. However, conversely, is it not only the V6 Brera that has the option of 4WD which is rear biased, hence giving some pretence of being the "driver's" car of the lineup?Yup - it is a shame. I guess those that bought the 3.2 were really wanting a sports car first etc. Those of us with the JTDM had other priorities.
My Bella puts a smile on my face everytime I get in it. Once on the road, it pulls like a train - no complaints about performance or handling. Indeed, under normal conditions, it reminds me of my old Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo.
The seat designer does need shooting though; the GT ones are far better.
My Bella puts a smile on my face everytime I get in it. Once on the road, it pulls like a train - no complaints about performance or handling. Indeed, under normal conditions, it reminds me of my old Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo.
The seat designer does need shooting though; the GT ones are far better.
bunyarra said:
The seat designer does need shooting though; the GT ones are far better.
Do you also struggle with the driving position? I just cant find a decent one. I find the rear view mirror obstructs my vision quite dangerously & i regularly bang my head on the roof
Ah well, i'm hopefully back in a GT within a couple of weeks
cirvy said:
Do you also struggle with the driving position? I just cant find a decent one. I find the rear view mirror obstructs my vision quite dangerously & i regularly bang my head on the roof
No problems at all for me, although I'm a small (but perfectly formed
) 5'7". In fact I think the driving position is the best I've had yet in an Alfa, but I would like more supportive seats. They can't win though can they? There's a guy on Alfaowner who finds the GT seats too tight... 
Just joined up as I'm thinking of buying a Brera V6, or was until I started reading about all the problems etc that are on this thread and others like it! I currently drive a Chimaera & do about 15-18,000 miles pa. With all the traffic about & cameras etc everybody gets so fixated about handling & speed you'd think they drive it as if testing for Top Gear all the time on an empty runway. Even though I live in the country & commute in to work I can have great fun for about 15 minutes each way but I would say that in normal driving with English weather that a 4 wheel drive would have a distinct advantage over rear or front wheel drive any day. I've previously owned Audi S6 & S8 and then switched to a V8 S Type & I know which is much quicker & it does have 4wd! However on standing start runs it makes no difference, you'd be hard pressed to spin the wheels in the dry with decent tyres unless driving like a right wally. So what's a V6 Brera really like please? Thanks, Dave
davidfox123 said:
So what's a V6 Brera really like please? Thanks, Dave
Dave, you really need to test drive one and make your own mind up I think.
There are a lot of negative vibes around the car (man), but yet many people are chuffed to bits with theirs - especially the 300lb ft JTDm version.
Wombat Rick said:
davidfox123 said:
So what's a V6 Brera really like please? Thanks, Dave
There are a lot of negative vibes around the car Edited by richb on Wednesday 25th October 15:02
My preconceptions were only based on driving a 147 diesel a few weeks ago as a rental - and it was crap.
I bought the 2.2 petrol. I don't need the world's fastest car. I just like it.
Not had a problem banging my head on the roof, even though I am 6ft, but I have also spent some time adjusting the drivers seat to get it just right for me. With the roof blind open, I reckon it would even take a 6ft 4" driver.
Lots of fun to drive. There are comments about 2nd and 3rd being far apart in terms of ratios - it may be true, but it does mean you hang on in 2nd for a few more revs... and that's a good thing in my book. Above about 3,500rpm, the engine makes a beautiful sound.
Biggest complaints so far?
1. To get my main acoustic guitar in the boot, I have to put one of the back seats forward. Once the guitar is in, the seat can go back again. (my smaller guitars fit in ok, and this one fits when not in its case)
2. The key is a bit big. And I need to get used to pressing the starter button until the engine properly fires up - my last car you just pressed the button, and the electronics did the rest.
3. The CD thing (see my other thread)
4. That I'm not driving it right now.
I bought the 2.2 petrol. I don't need the world's fastest car. I just like it.
Not had a problem banging my head on the roof, even though I am 6ft, but I have also spent some time adjusting the drivers seat to get it just right for me. With the roof blind open, I reckon it would even take a 6ft 4" driver.
Lots of fun to drive. There are comments about 2nd and 3rd being far apart in terms of ratios - it may be true, but it does mean you hang on in 2nd for a few more revs... and that's a good thing in my book. Above about 3,500rpm, the engine makes a beautiful sound.
Biggest complaints so far?
1. To get my main acoustic guitar in the boot, I have to put one of the back seats forward. Once the guitar is in, the seat can go back again. (my smaller guitars fit in ok, and this one fits when not in its case)
2. The key is a bit big. And I need to get used to pressing the starter button until the engine properly fires up - my last car you just pressed the button, and the electronics did the rest.
3. The CD thing (see my other thread)
4. That I'm not driving it right now.
Wombat Rick said:
davidfox123 said:
So what's a V6 Brera really like please? Thanks, Dave
Dave, you really need to test drive one and make your own mind up I think.
The problem with just " doing a test drive to see what the car is like " route, is that you dont actually find out what the car is like to live with in the real world. This was what caught me out, a couple of half hour test drives seemed fine. It was'nt until i had lived with the car for a couple of weeks & i got to realise just how poor it was in real world driving conditions.
The best bet, if you're really keen, is to insist that the dealer lets you hire one, with the option that you get the money back if you buy it!!!
They're not really selling any at the moment so they should be keen
cirvy said:
The problem with just " doing a test drive to see what the car is like " route, is that you dont actually find out what the car is like to live with in the real world.
I borrowed one like I wanted (JTDm SV) for 24 hours and that was a big help. I could take it home, try car seats in it, fold the seats up and down, drive it on my usual roads, make sure I was comfortable and so on. Maybe David could go for that?
sjn2004 said:
wombat rick said:
cirvy said:
I reckon, the Brera is fundamentally flawed for anyone over 5'11". Sadly.
I reckon anyone over 5' 11" is fundamentally flawed.
Sadly.
I'm 5 11 and when I sat in the Brera, my hair was pressing on the roof even with the seat set as low as possible.
I'm amazed by the Brera, who the hell did they get to check the designs prior to manufacture.
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